DIY Aloe Vera Juice

Instead of buying those expensive bottles of aloe vera juice at the gym and organic markets, make your own with this quick tutorial on creating this beneficial and hydrating drink!

I grew up in a home where every ailment was solved with two words: aloe vera. Does you stomach hurt? Drink some aloe vera juice. Did you get a massive sunburn? Rub some fresh allow vera on your skin. Is your hair dried out after one too many pool party? Add some aloe vera to your shampoo. Seriously, my parents – specially my Dad – has an affinity with aloe vera and it’s health benefits. And to keep us all well stocked, we had around 15-20 aloe vera plants in our front year at our disposal!

And surprise, surprise! Our local grocery store on Martha’s Vineyard carries full aloe vera leaves in the produce section, so I’m pretty sure your local market also has some tucked between the yucca, mangoes, and plantains. It’s smooth down the front and back, but the sides have princely thorns that could pinch you, so be careful! (At my local Stop and Shop, one aloe vera leaf was $1.99, which is the same cost of one 8-ounce bottle of it’s juice! And from one leaf, you’ll get a lot more than 8 ounces!)

Now, not only can you make aloe vera juice and sip on it, but there are many other uses for the aloe vera gel, like:

As you can see in the pictures above and below, the inside of the aloe leaf is slippery and slimy! One of my favorite uses which I’ve lately discovered is freezing the aloe in cubes and keeping them in an airtight bag in the freezer – they make the perfect healthy addition to your morning smoothies!

Below I’ve listed some of my favorite smoothies to which you can add aloe to:

To remove the aloe crystal slowly peel both sides. The inside will be very slimy, this is normal.

Remove all green peel and cut into one-inch cubes.

To make aloe vera juice: place 6-8, one-inch cubes in the blender with about 6 cups of filtered water. Blend until the aloe crystal has been fully incorporated. If you'd like, you can flavor with a squeeze for fresh lemon or lime.

To freeze for future use: place on a tray in one layer and freeze for 3-4 hours. Remove from tray and store in an airtight plastic bag. These frozen aloe cubes could be used as ice cubes for your drinks, or as a healthy addition to your smoothies.